


Blonde Hair, Black Lungs

by l0singface



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Claustrophobia, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, fuck u smp!dream, sbi family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28079592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l0singface/pseuds/l0singface
Summary: Mining the obsidian took what felt like years, relief flooding him as it finally broke.The relief was replaced by horror as he took in the sight in front of him.Tommy was looking up at him like a wild animal, arms outstretched, his eyes glazed over and his face red and puffy. His hair was a bird’s nest, sticking up in all different directions as if he had been pulling on it. His hands looked like a crime scene, covered in blood and dirt.“P-Phil?” Tommy warbled, tear streaks staining his face. His eyes looked distant, as if he wasn’t actually seeing Phil.“Oh my Gods, Tommy!” Phil choked out.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 1499





	1. Don't Let Me Die Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for claustrophobia and description of a panic attack! stay safe <3  
> based on [ this fanart,](https://twitter.com/Shmeckdoesstuff/status/1337065436962119680?s=20) go check it out!!

“Tommy, get in.”

Tommy’s heart dropped. He backed up instinctively, eyes widening.

“W-What?” He stammered out, looking down at the hole he had thrown his armor in for Dream to blow up. The wind ruffled his hair lightly, the pit looming ominously.

Dream gave an empty smile, his expression hidden behind that stupid mask. Sometimes Tommy wondered about the mask, about the irony of it. It was always there, a childish smile almost mocking him as Dream stripped him of his belongings and dignity, as he isolated him from his family. He wondered why Dream wore it.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Get in,” He said, motioning towards the hole. The wind whistled and the grass blew around softly, oblivious to the storm brewing in Tommy’s mind.

Was this a joke? Tommy felt panic starting to rise, trying to convince himself Dream wasn’t being serious. He did have a weird sense of humor, mostly revolving around tormenting Tommy.

Dream pushed Tommy’s shoulder roughly, the smile gone from his face. His hand was firm, pressing into his shoulder as Tommy flinched.

“Get. In.” He demanded.

“Okay, Okay, I’m sorry,” Tommy said, voice laced with panic.

He took a shuddering breath as he jumped down into the hole, looking back up at Dream.

The last thing he saw was Dream’s smile underneath his mask as he placed obsidian on top of him.

—

“There is no reason for me to be here for this. Tommy obviously loathes me,” Techno grumbled, helping Phil carry the presents they had gotten to surprise Tommy with. The last time Tommy had seen him, he had told him to fuck right off. To be fair, he _had_ come to see him and mock him for his exile. But still. Harsh.

Phil rolled his eyes. 

“Suck it up, buttercup. He really needs the company and I’m sure these gifts will help cheer him up, too,” He paused, then added, “And I don’t believe he hates you as much as you think. You’re still his brother, Techno.”

Now it was Techno’s turn to roll his eyes, turning away from Phil as he muttered under his breath.

The two walked in silence for a few more minutes, admiring the forest and bright sun around them. The flowers and grass whispered around them, the wind blowing in their ears, providing comforting sounds that filled the lack of conversation. Phil had a soft smile on his face, feeling content.

And then the screaming started.

They looked at each other, eyes wide and hands flying to their weapons.

“Stop, let’s get behind this tree,” Phil ordered hurriedly, ducking under leaves and squatting behind the log of an oak tree, pulling Techno behind him.

“Who the hell would that be?” Techno whispered, sword clutched firmly.

They listened intently, the screaming stopping for about twenty seconds before it started again.

“Dream! No, no, no, no, please, Dream, please help me! Help me!” 

Phil felt his stomach turn inside out.

He knew that voice.

And by the look on Techno’s face, he had recognized it, too.

_Tommy._

—

He couldn’t hear the wind anymore.

It had only been about thirty seconds in the hole, Tommy feeling more annoyed than worried.

“Very funny, Dream, now let me out. You already take all my armor,” He whined.

He got no response. He thought Dream was screwing with him once again, trying to take deep breaths to calm the panic threatening to overtake him. He wouldn’t allow himself to panic. It wasn’t that big of a hole, but the obsidian and stone encompassing him was practically unbreakable considering he didn’t have any tools on him.

“Dream?”

No response. Tommy was finding it a little hard to breath now.

“This isn’t funny, man,” Tommy warned, voice rising higher.

Silence. Tommy felt his heart pounding against his chest, threatening to burst out. The stone around him felt menacing, too suffocating and too vast at the same time. He felt cold and numb with terror, the silence roaring in his ears.

“Please let me out,” His voice broke, tears forming in his eyes.

He couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything, the obsidian above blocking out all sounds of the forest. His breathing was rapid now, throat feeling tight as he cried out, “Dream!”

He clawed desperately at the stone around him, hyperventilating as he got nothing but bloody fingers. He couldn’t breathe. His chest felt tight, his throat raw as nausea flooded his body. Why would Dream do this? Was he going to die here? Did Dream finally grow tired of screwing with him, deciding to end his life in the worst way possible? He heard someone screaming, feeling something wet drip down his face.

His throat felt like sandpaper and realized distantly that it was because he was the one screaming.

His fingers throbbed. Warm liquid trickled down his hands as he pleaded and screamed at the silence.

_Please don’t let me die here._

—

Light flooded the hole.

—

“Fuck!" Phil shouted, terrified out of his mind as he and Techno sprinted towards Tommy’s campsite. His items were heavy in his bag, thumping against his back as his feet pounded against the grass.

Techno stayed silent, but Phil could sense his fear and his rage. They both know who did this, could hear it in Tommy’s panicked screams.

Dream.

Phil’s legs ached as they approached Tommy’s campsite, the screaming sickeningly close now.

Techno dug around madly, searching for Tommy, Phil doing the same. Why had he not noticed this sooner? That Dream was slowly going mad with power, that this was something he should’ve expected out of the merciless man.

He stopped digging when he saw obsidian, fury turning his blood cold as he took out his pickaxe, shouting to Techno that he’d found him.

Mining the obsidian took what felt like years, relief flooding him as it finally broke.

The relief was replaced by horror as he took in the sight in front of him.

Tommy was looking up at him like a wild animal, arms outstretched, his eyes glazed over and his face red and puffy. His hair was a bird’s nest, sticking up in all different directions as if he had been pulling on it. His hands looked like a crime scene, covered in blood and dirt.

“P-Phil?” Tommy warbled, tear streaks staining his face. His eyes looked distant, as if he wasn’t actually seeing Phil.

“Oh my Gods, Tommy!” Phil choked out, digging down and creating a makeshift staircase as he climbed down to Tommy, approaching him cautiously.

He was about to speak before Tommy suddenly crashed into his arms, heaving sobs that wracked his body as Phil felt his heart rip to shreds. He wrapped his arms around Tommy’s back, shushing him and murmuring to him softly.

He could feel Techno’s eyes burning a hole into his back. He would deal with him later.

“C’mon, Tommy,” Phil whispered, slowly walking back up the stairs, trying to direct him back to the campsite.

Tommy wailed in his arms, muttering unintelligible sentences as he clutched onto Phil like a lifeline. How long had he been in there, Phil thought. How long was he afraid and alone, crying for someone who was nowhere to be found?

How long would it have been before it was too late?

Phil pushed the thoughts down, blinking rapidly to calm the tears threatening to spill out.

He continued to shush Tommy quietly, whispering assurances at him and bringing him back to his tent and laying him on his bed.

Tommy wasn’t audibly sobbing anymore, but still shook like a leaf and took shaky, uneven breaths.

The next thirty minutes was spent with Phil comforting Tommy, gently rubbing his back and running his fingers through his hair as his breathing evened out, silent sobs finally subsiding. He stared blankly at the other side of the tent, eyes still looking far away but more focused now. He hadn’t moved a single muscle since Phil had put him in his bed.

“Hey, Toms,” Phil said quietly, still carding his hands through his hair. Tommy’s fingers twitched slightly, but other than that, he didn’t give a response.

Phil took what he could get.

“You can rest now, Tommy. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you anymore. You’re safe,” He assured, watching in relief as Tommy finally let his eyes flutter close.

Phil spent a few more minutes watching over Tommy, making sure the boy didn’t wake up or move before he stood up, slowly untangling himself from where Tommy was leaning against him, head resting on Phil’s shoulder.

He inhaled shakily as he walked out of the tent, searching for Techno.

He found him moments later, sitting on a log on the shore, looking out at the vast ocean. The sand crunching underneath Phil’s shoes alerted him of his presence as he shot up quickly, whirling around to face his father.

Phil could see the unspoken question in Techno’s eyes. He could see his hesitation to voice his worries aloud. 

“He’s asleep,” Phil said simply, choosing to not say that he was okay, because that would be a blatant lie that both of them could see plain as day.

He saw the moment Techno’s eyes hardened once Phil spoke. He could feel the anger rolling off him like violent ocean waves. Phil watched him like a hawk, prepared if Techno did anything irrational. He saw his hand gripping his sword tightly, his knuckles white.

“I’m going to kill him,” Techno eventually stated, his voice a quiet rasp.

Phil nodded. He had expected this.

“Dream?” He questioned, wanting his son to say the words himself.

“Yes,” Techno snarled, as if the man’s name burned his very soul.

“I’m going to kill Dream.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	2. Home Is No Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wakes up, Techno rages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy crap thank you so much for all the love on this fic! i honestly didn't plan to continue it but you guys have given me motivation to. i hope you enjoy this chapter!!

By the time Techno had left, his back ramrod straight and shoulders tense, Phil was back sitting with Tommy on his bed. 

He chewed his lip nervously, anxiety coursing through his body at the thought of Dream returning. Would Dream kill him? Would he kill Tommy? He didn’t want to think about losing another kid. 

Memories of Wilbur flashed violently through his mind, his son begging him to kill him, the feeling of his sword in his hands as he plunged it into his chest, watching the light fade from his eyes. Memories of his son slowly losing himself.

He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost Tommy, too. He had to get him out of here before Dream came back.

Phil reluctantly sat up, gently placing a hand on Tommy’s shoulder to shake him awake.

“Tommy, wake up,” He whispered quietly, heart racing as he braced himself if Tommy woke up screaming or something.

By some miracle, Tommy didn’t wake up scared. He opened his eyes blearily, blinking up at Phil in confusion.

“Dad?” He asked, voice hoarse and scratchy. Phil felt his heart squeeze inside his chest. Tommy very rarely ever called him dad.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?”

Tommy blew out a shaky breath, sitting up straighter in his bed, looking down at his hands and then back up at Phil, eyebrow raised.

Phil gave him a tight smile, “I bandaged them for you while you were asleep. When you feel up to it, we need to clean them in case the wounds get infected.”

Tommy gave him a wobbly smile in return, nodding his head as he looked back down.

“Where’s Dream?” He said, voice a broken whisper. 

He looked so young. He didn’t look like the boy who went to war twice over and sacrificed everything for his nation. He didn’t look like the outgoing blond everyone had come to love, the one who made bright jokes and the one who had a contagious barking laugh.

He just looked like a scared and tired kid who had to grow up too quick.

“He’s not here. It’s been a couple hours. We need to leave as soon as we can, I don’t know what he’d do if he came back and saw me here with you,” Phil said slowly, watching Tommy’s face for his reaction.

Tommy’s head shot up, eyes wide and terrified. “Where would we go? I can’t-” He cut himself off, voice breaking, “I can’t go home.”

Phil swore he was growing gray hairs from the amount of times he had felt his heart break.

He laid both his hands on Tommy’s shoulder’s gently, leaning down slightly to make eye contact with him.

“You can. You can now. Your family is there, and once they find out what happened, they wouldn’t toss you back out.”

Tommy shook his head quickly, “I’m exiled. Someone will kill me, or they’ll tell Dream, or-”

“Tommy, they’re your _family_ -”

“They left me-”

“They _miss_ you-”

“Then why haven’t they come to see me!?” Tommy suddenly shouted, anger and betrayal in his eyes as he shrugged out of Phil’s grip. 

“No one has—They’ve all forgotten about me. They don’t care anymore! No one has come to visit, and it’s been weeks!” He yelled, voice shaky as his eyes shined with unshed tears.

Phil didn’t know what to say to that. While it wasn’t true that they didn’t care anymore, it _was_ true that no one had come to visit him. Phil had been trying to convince everyone to see him, but no one would listen. Not even Tubbo, even though the brunette obviously ached to see Tommy again. Sometimes he would catch him staring off into space when he thought no one was looking, eyes distant and yearning.

“They care about you, Tommy,” Phil said softly.

Tommy choked on a sob, crumpling as he brought his knees up to his chest, hugging them tightly as he buried his head in them. 

“I miss them so much. I feel like I’m dying. My chest burns. I just—I want to go home,” He cried, shoulders shuddering.

Phil placed a comforting hand in his hair. “I know, son,” He sighed.

“I know.”

—

Techno felt as if pure rage was moving his legs. His entire body was tense, one hand balled into a fist and the other wrapped around his sword. He heard his blood rushing in his ears. His body felt cold, as if a frozen lake had replaced everything inside of him, the sounds and scenery around him blurry and muted.

_I’m going to kill you, Dream._

He repeated the phrase like a mantra inside his head. He would make him suffer. He would make him regret the day he was ever fucking born, retirement be damned. No one got to fuck with his family like that.

He didn’t care if he killed himself in the process. As long as he saw Dream stop breathing, he would be satisfied.

He made it back to his house in a breath of relief, allowing himself to sit down and breathe for a few moments. Being emotional would get him nowhere, and would only make him fight irrationally. He lit a fire, tossing in a few logs as he watched it burst to life, the flames licking the top of the fireplace as it crackled.

Seeing Tommy like that had unnerved Techno to no end. Despite being his brother, he can’t recall a time where he had seen Tommy look so broken and terrified. It wasn’t him at all.

To his surprise, he found himself blinking back a few tears that had begun to form in his eyes and make his surroundings smear together.

He cursed under his breath as he moved away from the fire, looking in his chests for his netherite armor and tools. He put on the armor, putting a bow in his bag and pulling on the empty quiver, searching for arrows. He stopped when he noticed the dull shape sitting innocently inside his chest.

He bent down slowly, reaching out to grab it and gently cradling it in his hands. He set it on the ground, rummaging around his chests for the other two. 

He found them moments later, laying all three on the ground in front of him.

Snow fell outside the house and frosted over the windows.

A feral grin broke out across Techno’s face.

—

Phil was scared.

Not of going back to L’manberg, but because Tommy was dead silent. He hadn’t attempted to make a joke, hadn’t been his usual bright self. He was just...quiet. He seemed like an empty shell. Phil felt heavy guilt weighing his heart down. He had no idea what Tommy was going through in exile.

It wasn’t just his demeanor, either. He looked dead on his feet. There were heavy, dark eyebags sitting underneath his eyes. They stood out starkly against his pale skin, looking more like bruises than eyebags.

And his eyes.

His eyes looked as if they had lost all the light in them, a dull gray instead of the usual bright and youthful blue. He looked like he had aged a decade older. His clothes were ripped to shreds, numerous holes in his shirt and pants.

Phil clenched his jaw tightly, forcing himself to look away from his son as they continued their trek on the obsidian bridge that took them to L’manberg. The ocean of lava under them bubbled threateningly. Phil felt himself instinctively growing closer to Tommy’s side in case something happened.

In case _Tommy_ did something.

The thought of Tommy jumping made Phil’s blood run cold as he pushed it down, keeping it in the very back of his mind.

They walked up the steps to the portal going to L’manberg and Phil watched as Tommy hesitated at his side.

“It’s alright, son. I’ll be with you the whole time,” He coaxed gently, grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Tommy gave the barest of nods, walking forward on unsteady legs.

Phil was the first to step into the portal, bracing himself as he felt the familiar cold rush of air that made him dizzy. Tommy stepped up beside him, almost shy. He squeezed the older man’s hand tightly.

Tommy took one last look around the nether before shutting his eyes closed tightly as the portal teleported them away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry the chapter is kind of short! i have a rough outline though, so chapters in the future will be longer! thank you for reading <3


End file.
